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Celebrating the queen's diamond jubilee

Members of the Flagler College tour group gathered in Hyde Park to witness the Queen of England's Diamond Jubilee Celebration. Contributed photo.

There have been many stops on our trip through Ireland and the UK, and I enjoyed all of them. However, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee was the one experience I was looking forward to the most. I have been to London one other time in my life, and I loved everything about it. I always intended to go back, but I never thought it would be during one of the most historic events in the history of the Monarchy. Queen Victoria was the only other British monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee, and I was thrilled to be part of a celebration that won’t happen again in our lifetime.

The Diamond Jubilee consisted of three main events that we were able to witness during our time in London. On our first day the Diamond Jubilee Pageant was taking place on the Thames River. One thousand boats, both big and small, from all over the world, paraded down the river led by the Royal Barge. The crowds were unlike anything I have seen before. I was surrounded by thousands of people on quite a small bridge, but even so there was very little chaos. Admittedly, it was difficult to see much with the huge crowd, but I am thrilled to be able to say I was on the Thames River for the pageant.

The second event that took place was the BBC Concert at Buckingham Palace where 500,000 tickets were given away to attend the concert. For people unable to get tickets (like our group), Hyde Park was full of big screens to watch the concert. Flagler students decided to go to Hyde Park to watch, and it was an experience I will never forget. Many famous singers performed at the concert including Elton John, Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. It was so great to see how much the people love the Queen and the loyalty they have to her.

At the end of the concert the national anthem “God Save the Queen” was sung, and everyone in the crowd sang along. The National Beacon was lit following the anthem and fireworks were set off. Everyone around me was cheering and the atmosphere was one of excitement.

I will never forget the sense of nationalism from the thousands of people around me.

On our third day, Queen Elizabeth II made her procession from Westminster Hall to Buckingham Palace. There were so many people that streets were closed, subways stations shut, and Trafalgar Square was filled to capacity. The Queen started her day attending the National Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Many royal family members attended this service, as well as the lunch that followed at Westminster Hall.

The procession was beautiful and cheers could be heard all over London as the Queen was making her way to Buckingham Palace. It was surreal to know that the Queen of England was less than a mile away from me, as well as the rest of the Royal Family.

The Queen made an appearance with other members of the family on the famous balcony at Buckingham, followed by the RAF flypast up the Mall and over Buckingham Palace.

The Diamond Jubilee was unlike anything I have ever experienced. Even though I was not front and center for all the events that took place, I can still say I was in London for the celebration. It was one of the most culturally distinct experiences I have ever had, and I gained so much knowledge from being part of such an historical event. As a future teacher I can share all my experiences with my students and provide them a fuller understanding of history and culture. I am so fortunate to be able to have had this opportunity with such a great group of friends and fellow students.